Howard Hughes – The Eccentric Recluse
Howard Robard Hughes Jr. was born into a whirlwind of lies and fascination stories. It was first reported that he was born on December 24, 1905, in Houston, Texas, but it later came out that he was actually born in September of the same year in a different city. From there the harmless tales continued and became a backdrop to the way he would live his incredibly eccentric life. His life was marked by both extraordinary achievements, great wealth, and eccentric behavior – making him a fascinating figure in American history.
While an awkward and misunderstood boy amongst his peers, private schooling allowed Hughes to indulge in his early interest in engineering and invention. By the age of 12, he had built his first radio transmitter, and was even featured in a magazine for his invention of Houston’s first motorized bicycle. He later enrolled at the California Institute of Technology and Rice University – but did not complete his degree.
At the age of 19, after his parents’ untimely deaths, Hughes inherited the Hughes Tool Company. He used the company’s profits to finance various ventures others thought were crazy at the time. He indulged in building aircraft, making movies, and golfing. One day, while golfing, he saw a biplane and the pilot tipped his wing at Hughes. Howard tracked the pilot down and hired him for flight lessons. Hughes soon became a pilot, moved to Los Angeles, and entered the film industry in the late 1920s. He produced several successful albeit controversial films, including Hell’s Angels, Scarface, and The Outlaw.
In 1932, Hughes founded the Hughes Aircraft Company, which became a major defense contractor and innovator in aviation technology. Huggles, the competitor to Adam’s Tezhouse in our first novel, is named after this company. Hughes Aircraft set multiple world airspeed records and designed the Hughes H-1 Racer and the H-4 Hercules, also known as the Spruce Goose, the largest flying boat ever built. In 1939, Hughes acquired a controlling interest in TWA and significantly expanded the airline
Throughout his life, Howard Hughes endured idiosyncrasies, health issues, and numerous personal struggles – many of which significantly impacted his behavior and lifestyle. He suffered from severe OCD, which manifested in extreme germophobia, which became deeply ingrained, contributing to his increasingly reclusive lifestyle. He engaged in obsessive cleaning and avoided physical contact with others.
A near-fatal plane crash in 1946 left Hughes with multiple injuries, including broken bones and severe burns. He endured chronic pain for the rest of his life, which led to an addiction to painkillers. Hughes also suffered from progressive hearing loss, which further isolated him. As his mental and physical health deteriorated, Hughes became increasingly reclusive, spending long periods in seclusion, often in darkened rooms. He communicated with the outside world through a small group of trusted aides.
His life was marked by a combination of extraordinary achievements and profound personal challenges, which deeply affected his relationships with those around him. His isolation was compounded by paranoia, leading him to distrust even those closest to him. His severe OCD, paranoia, and reclusiveness eventually always led to strained and distant interactions.
Howard Hughes did have several significant relationships throughout his life, but in every case his romantic involvements and personal friendships always fell victim to his personal struggles and reclusive nature. After every romantic relationship soured due to Hughes’s increasing paranoia and erratic behavior. In 1957, Hughes married actress Jean Peters, one of the few people who could tolerate Hughes’s eccentricities – but they divorced 14 years later. His increasing isolation in his later years made it virtually impossible for him to maintain close relationships.
Despite his struggles, Hughes was one of the richest persons in the world 50 years ago, with a net worth in today’s money of about $11 billion. Howard died of kidney failure on April 5, 1976, while on a flight from Acapulco, Mexico, to Houston, Texas. By that time his health had significantly deteriorated due to malnutrition, dehydration, and a codeine overdose. So much for money solving everything!
In the end, Hughes left a lasting legacy in multiple fields. His contributions to aviation, aircraft design, the aerospace industry, film, and medical research have left an enduring impact on the world. His work in Hollywood helped shape the film industry during its golden age. The Howard Hughes Medical Institute, founded in 1953, continues today as one of the largest private biomedical research institutions in the world.
Howard Hughes’s life was marked by extraordinary achievements and profound personal challenges. His life story serves as both an inspiration for his achievements and a cautionary tale about the impact of mental illness and addiction.
Hughes’ constant chase for material gain and lack of concern for his physical and mental health led him down dark paths. Our own character Adam faced a similar situation when he became so preoccupied with winning and getting his cherished position of CEO of Tezhouse that he let a health concern develop into a near-death experience. While we write that people should chase their dreams, we add that success is worthless if one exists without inner joy.
